1. You’re a PR professional — and
part of your job involves providing
the media with information about
topics that are important to your
organization.You’ve prepared for a
pivotal event or issue.You’ve studied
background information,worked
with your leadership to develop
strategic messages and quelled any
nervousness about being the public
spokesperson.You’re ready — and
you’ve dialed that phone number or
pushed the send button on that
tweet or email.But the response is
different than you expected:
“Thanks for the information but I’d
just like to talk to your CEO.Can
you set that up?”
Most PR professionals have
experienced such a conversation,
and it can sometimes leave us won-
dering about our own role in the
media relations process.
While there are many situa-
tions in which it is best for the head
of an organization to speak directly
to the media,there are also times
when it’s most helpful for the PR
person to take the lead.
For starters,busy CEOs can’t
answer every question — they need
help in disseminating information
about the organization.In addition,
the interview is only one step in the
multifaceted process of message
delivery.And PR professionals can
enhance that process through pro-
viding background,context or addi-
tional contacts.
The rapid changes in the way
that news media gather and report
information is an opportunity and
an obligation for PR professionals
and their organizations or clients.
There’s a place for PR people in
this process but,to retain that place,
we have to be knowledgeable and
valuable.As Nick Kalm,president of
Chicago-based PR firm Reputation
Partners,says,“We have to be seen as
a facilitator for the process — not an
impediment.”
Here are seven tips for enhanc-
ing your value to journalists:
1.Knowwhocanprovidethe
rightinformation.Heads of organi-
zations may not always have detailed
knowledge of the topic that a jour-
nalist wants to discuss.For example,
a research scientist or the organiza-
tion’s corporate social responsibility
officer may be the best person to
answer a journalist’s questions
about environmental issues.
PR profes-
sionals can add
value to this
process by know-
ing who the most
appropriate sub-
ject-matter experts
are,by preparing
these experts to
interact with the
media,and by pro-
viding fast and effective access to
them when the need arises.
2.Don’tjustunderstandthe
subjectathand;understandthe
business.
“When we are asked important
questions about our organizations,
we can’t just answer with a sound
bite — we have to take time to
understand the factors that drive
marketplace success,”Kalm says.
One way that PR pros can do
this is to stay current about what’s
going on in the marketplace and in
the industry.Be aware of trends;
hang out with the numbers people
in your organization.Subscribe to
and carefully read business publica-
tions.Ask management to support
you in continuing education.
One PR professional asked for a
brief workplace sabbatical to better
understand the customer service
organization she represented.The
PR person visited the customer
service facilities,followed delivery
people around on their routes,
worked in the fulfillment warehouse
and helped respond to customer
service calls.The result is a PR pro-
fessional who is able to provide
important perspectives and context
to her audiences.
3.Buildrela-
tionshipsoutside
theinformation-
exchangeprocess.
“It is important for
any organization to
have people
embedded in the
community who
can cultivate rela-
tionships,”says
Mike Jacobs,journalist and publish-
er of the Pulitzer-Prize-winning
Grand Forks Herald in North
Dakota.
This is especially critical,he
adds,in developing an understand-
ing of how local media work.As PR
people engage with the community,
they are establishing trust and
building a foundation for the future
of that relationship.
At some level,spokespeople
need to be connected to the com-
munity.In smaller markets that
might mean inviting over reporters
and editors for a chat or tour.It
could also be a meeting at the news-
room.Be prepared to offer a story
idea or two with associated experts
and photo opportunities.
4.Knowjournalists’prefer-
encesforreceivinginformation.
Some like phone calls,some like
emails and others like tweets.
Everyone has a preference.It’s the
PR person’s business to use those
channels as often as possible.
“Asthenumberof journalists
decreases,thosewhoremainbecome
moredependentonsocialmediato
accessinformation,”Kalmsays.
However,cautions Jacobs,
social media has some limitations.
“Social media doesn’t lend itself to
good conversation — it just makes
the conversation faster and more
democratic.If your organization
uses Twitter and Facebook pages,
that can be a breakthrough but also
a barrier,because these formats
don’t lend themselves to depth.”
Sometimes,that greater depth
will be required — and you’ll need
to have a live conversation with spe-
cific answers to critical questions.
5.Understandthattryingto
micromanageajournalist’scom-
municationprocessmaybackfire
andhurtcredibility. Journalists
often cite their frustration with PR
people who insist on approving
interview questions,or who sit in
on the reporter’s interview and fre-
quently interrupt.
In a 2012 Society of
Professional Journalists survey,
many journalists admitted that
they often tried to circumvent offi-
cial spokespeople because of such
barriers.
6.Betruthfulandfactual.PR
peoplefillthevitalfunctionof pro-
vidingmultipleperspectivestoa
story.“There is more than one way
to see an issue,but there isn’t more
than one way to see the facts,”Jacobs
says.“Don’t distort them.”
A PR person who has misrepre-
sented information to the media
will likely find it impossible to estab-
lish credibility in the future.
7.EducateyourCEOabout
yourrole.Busy CEOs,in their sin-
cere desire to be available and acces-
sible,may not always give thought to
the most effective ways that they —
and their PR people — can engage
in that process most effectively.
“Educate your CEO about your
role,and help her or him under-
stand how public relations can help
the organization broadly — not
only as a single department or func-
tion,”says Kalm.
Formingapartnership
A communications profession-
al has many roles:strategic coun-
selor,reputation guardian,influ-
encer,communicator and emissary.
Make sure that the CEO knows
what you can do and where you can
add value.At the same time,make
sure that your CEO understands the
limits of your influence.He or she
needs to understand that good jour-
nalists will not tell the story from
your organization’s point of view
only;a journalist may feel obligated
to balance the story by also talking
with competitors or critics.
No matter how well you do
your job,there will be occasions
when the media will want to talk to
your CEO,rather than to you.
“There are times when it’s a
CEO’s job to talk to the press.That’s
especially true at the crossroads of
an organization — when you have
big announcements,or when there
are big issues,”Jacobs says.
When this is the case,PR pro-
fessionals can demonstrate value.
Support your CEO in developing
strong messages.Find opportunities
to share important news and events.
At those times,the value you
add is the partnership with your
CEO — working together to serve
the public interest and share your
organization’s story.
media relations
14 July 2013 TACTICS
SusanBalcomWalton,M.A.,
APR,isvicepresidentforuniver-
sityandpublicaffairsatthe
UniversityofNorthDakota.She
hasalsoheldcommunications
managementpositionsatvari-
ousFortune500companies.
JoelJ.Campbellisanassociate
journalismprofessoratBrigham
YoungUniversity. Hehasbeena
trainerandspeakeratmore
than150newsroomsandcon-
ferences.Twitter:@joelcampbell.
Staying valuable
in a changing
media environment
By Susan BalcomWalton,M.A., APR,and Joel J.Campbell
“For starters,busy CEOs
can’t answer every
question — they need
help in disseminating
information about the
organization.”
canopy/corbis